Top Tweets for #pecking
About the #blackwoodpecker #Dryocopus #martius (#Piciformes), its #distribution and #biology, as well as the questions of why the #beak does #notgetstuck in the wood when hammering and how woodpeckers minimize the #cranialabsorption of shocks during their #pecking performance.
The black woodpecker is widespread throughout the central and northern #Palearctic region and occurs in lowlands as well as in mountainous areas up to the tree line. The highest #nestingcavities have been discovered at altitudes above 2200 m.
The species is quite adaptable with regard to the #forest areas it inhabits and, with appropriate acclimatization, can also breed in urban #parks. Originally, it likely inhabited dense forests near mountainous regions, predominantly composed of #beech and scattered #spruce trees. Mixed forests of oak and pine are also commonly used as habitat.
This woodpecker #species #feeds on #wooddwelling insects, which it locates by tapping on cavities in the wood and exposing by vigorously hammering into the wood with its beak. Tree-dwelling #antspecies are particularly often favored. The black woodpecker is generally #territorial and only migrates in winter under very harsh conditions, and even then, it typically travels short distances only. In #winter, this woodpecker likes to expose ant nests in order to continue to have a #foodsupply during the cold season.
The black woodpecker usually begins its #courtship in March. The two partners are seasonally #monogamous, and further matings by the same partners in subsequent years can happen. Various tree species are suitable for excavating the #nest cavity. However, beech trees are preferred due to the stability of their wood.
Authors S. Van Wassenbergh et al. (2022a) investigated how black woodpeckers manage to #withdraw their #beaks from wood after boring into it, whereas a #nail driven into wood by a #carpenter always remains firmly embedded. To study this, the authors filmed two birds in Central European zoos with a #highspeed #camera and analyzed the function of the beak and #skull in single-frame images. Their findings showed that the independent #mobility of the #upper and #lower peaks allows the woodpecker to, in effect, "work" its beak out of the wood #stepwise.
In a separate study, S. Van Wassenbergh et al. (2022b) examined three woodpecker species to investigate whether the skull structure actually acts like a bicycle helmet by absorbing the shock of the beak impact on the wood. Their studies refuted this hypothesis. It turned out that the #stiffness of the #skeleton, especially in the skull area, is what makes the successful #tappingperformance possible in the first place.
Using numerical simulations, the authors were also able to show that #braincase size and shape are designed to withstand #intracranial #pressure well.
© #StefanFWirth Berlin January 2026
References:
S. Van Wassenbergh et al. (2022a):
https://t.co/DYTue5NxJL
S. Van Wassenbergh et al. (2022a):
https://t.co/9Pvk4Ntz8T
News from Science on X with #video footage (2026):
https://t.co/kou5gdPFjk
#Pictures
© Stefan F. Wirth, #AI assisted #illustrations of the black woodpecker in a typical Forest habitat during its search for wood inhabiting prey, these are no photographs, Berlin, February 2026
Hammer a nail into a tree, and it will get stuck. So why doesn't the same thing happen to the sharp beaks of woodpeckers? Scientists may finally have the answer.
In a 2021 study, researchers took high-speed videos of two black woodpeckers pecking away at hardwood trunks in zoos and analyzed them frame by frame to see how the head and beak moved throughout each peck.
The bird's secret: an ability to move its upper and lower beaks independently, the team reports.
Learn more: https://t.co/XYSP9LWjrg #ScienceMagArchives
A black blackbird pecking at half an apple on the patio in the garden. - Stock-Footage
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https://t.co/nmYIkuZmNo via @pond5
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#blackbird #pecking #apple #winter #stockfootage #pond5
@elonmustxai @IHunt100xGems @Peckerfurie #Peckers keep #Pecking #Mindviscosity another Birdy ready to fly
This #Red-#rumped #woodpecker was having a good time #pecking this #Black #Mangrove for #insects to feed on. #Caroni #Swamp, #Trinidad.
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#birdwatching #wildlife #animals #birdphotography #caribbean #trinidadandtobago #BirdsSeenIn2023
🐄🐔Nutri-cal for #cattle and #poultry offers superior #calciumavailability, enhancing #shellquality, and preventing calcium-based #pecking.
It promotes better skeletal strength! 🥚🦴
📞 +256 701848815, +256 706202675.
#Nutrical #PoultryCare #CattleHealth #FarmingAdvancements
園内のヤマモモは旬を過ぎました。ヤマモモは食べられて消化された後に発芽する性質があるそうですが、メジロは実の部分だけついばんでいました。
#京都市動物園 #kyotocityzoo #メジロ #目白 #ヤマモモ #ついばむ #whiteeye #waxmyrtle #pecking
I really enjoy play-fighting with one of my pet humans from time to time, but one of them often is a real #buzzkill when we're just having fun 🤷🏽♀️
#FightingPigeon #PigeonPlaying #PigeonAttack #PigeonAttacksHuman #PigeonFun #Feet #Pecking #PetPigeon
@kipsterfarm chickens have intact beaks. To prevent pecking, we distract them. They can hide out in fake trees, forage for grains, peck at alfalfa hay bales and blocks. Pecking blocks condition their beaks in a natural way.
#animalwelfare #pecking #eggs
WHAT Happens If you Go Near a Broody Hen?
#minifarm #farmlifebestlife #farmstead #backyardpoultry #chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #chickens #backyardflock #poultry #chickencoop #chicks #babychicks #peeps #littlechicks #littlechickens #broodyhen #pecking
.@Elca_Gaming, @800PixelGorilla, and I have been hard at work bringing a pecking awesome experience to you.
Out now!
Project Pigeon
https://t.co/cJgjPDWipb
#MadeInDreams #DreamsPS4 #Dreams #indiegame #pecking #seeds #pigeon
🔴 #Pecking and #cannibalism in laying hens is a real problem. These are usually a consequence of some #stress problems suffered by the #hens‼️‼️
https://t.co/u9PJfaHzxa
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